New 'Phantom of the Opera' national tour to begin in November

A scene from the new British touring production of "The Phantom of the Opera," directed by Laurence Connor. John Owen-Jones plays the Phantom, and Katie Hall is Christine.

A scene from the new British touring production of "The Phantom of the Opera," directed by Laurence Connor. John Owen-Jones plays the Phantom, and Katie Hall is Christine. (Michael Le Poer Trench and Robin Savage)

David Ng

When Andrew Lloyd Webber bade farewell to the U.S. touring production of "The Phantom of the Opera" at the Pantages Theatre in Hollywood in 2010, he promised the audience that the beloved musical would eventually return.

It appears that fans won't have to wait too much longer for the chandelier to fall again. A new national touring production of "Phantom" is scheduled to kick off in November at the Providence Performing Arts Center in Providence, R.I., with other cities to be announced later.

The production is a new staging of the war horse directed by Laurence Connor that has been touring Britain.

"Phantom" continues to run at the Majestic Theatre on Broadway. The production, directed by Harold Prince, celebrated 25 years on the Great White Way in January.

Meanwhile, "Love Never Dies," the sequel to the musical, doesn't seem to be headed for Broadway anytime soon. The production has played in London and Australia, and has been released on DVD in the U.S.